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5 Sheets-Sheet I. B. M. GUNSTON.

BOX NAILING MACHINE.

Patented Aug. 30,1892. 2]' l ll Il l I E 1 1 1r i (No Model.)

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s BOX NAILING MACHINE. No. 481,863. Patented Aug. 30, 1892.

(No Modal.) f 5 Sheets-Sheet 4. B. M. GUNSTON. BOX NAILING MACHINE.

No. 481,863. Patented Aug. 30, 1892.

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B. M. GUNSTON.

B0X NAILING MACHINE.

No. 481,863. Patented Aug. 30, 1892.

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BYRON M. GUNSTON, OF OSWEGO, NEI/V YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THOMSON KINGSFORD,OF SAME PLACE.

BOX-NAILING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 481,863, dated August30, 1892.

Application filed March 5, 1892. Serial No. 423,900. (No model.)

T0 all whom t nca/y concern.'

Be it known that I, BYRONV M. GUNs'roN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oswego, in the county of Oswego and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in BoX-Nailing Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to that part of nailing-machines whichdelivers the nails from a pan or receptacle separately in properposition to be operated upon by thehammer mechanism.

The object of my invention is to render the mechanism entirely automaticand to so organize the apparatus that nails may be fed to the hammers orpunches evenly, regularly, and without clogging the moving parts.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a nail-feedingmachine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a vertical se@- tion on theline 2 2 of Fig. 1. 2 is a detail View showing the connection of thepan-operating mechanism With the hammer cross-head. Fig. 3 is a verticalsection on the line 3 3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a similarsection showingthe oscillating nail-track in its elevated position. Figs. 5 to l0,inclusive, are on an enlarged scale. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail plan viewsshowing particularly the cut-olif mechanism. Fig. 7 is another detailView of the cut-off mechanism. Fig. 8 is a vertical transverse sectionon the line 8 8 of Fig. l. Fig. 9 is a detail view in section on theline 9 9 of Fig. 4. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of part of the casingof the cut-off mechanism.

The frame A may loe of any construction suitable to support the dilerentparts of the mechanism.

The pan or receptacle B, into which the nails are dumped in amiscellaneous mass, is provided at its rear lower end with pivots h,journaled in standards a, adjustably secured to the frame A by means ofset-screws a, extending through slots b in the standards a. The nail-panis divided by a transversely-arranged partition B', the lower end ofwhich is located a short distance above the bottom. That portion of thepan in front of the partition B is divided, as shown in Fig. l, intocompartments C C', dic., by partitions @,which,

as shown, are pivotally connected to the bottom of the pan by screws cat their front ends. The rear ends of the partitions c are provided withscrews c2, extending through slots c3 in the partition B', and thesescrews carry clamping-nuts c4. By this means the partitions c may be setat different angles, and thus the quantity of nails delivered to thedifferent compartments may be varied.

As before stated, the rear end of the nailpan may be adjusted verticallyby means of its adjustable standards a, and by this means theinclination of the pan may be varied to regulate the quantity of nailsfed from it. The front end of the pan is supported on springs d,surrounding bolts D, extending through a cross-piece A', mounted onbracket A2 of the frame. The springs CZ project a short distanceupwardlyfrom the bolts and rest on the cross-piece A. The lower ends ofthe bolts are provided with adjustingnuts d2, by means of which thebolts may be adjusted vertically toward and from the upper ends of thesprings. Any desired number of these supporting devices may be employed.

The nail-pan is operated by a rod E, carrying at its upper end a springe, which may be adjusted by means of nuts e. The lower end of the rod isconnected to an angle-iron F, secured to the cross-head F of thehammer-actuating-mechanism. The arrangement is such that as thehammer-actuating mechanism is reciprocated vertically the rod E isreciprocated and imparts avertical oscillation or vibration to thenail-pan. The vibration of the pan may be regulated by adjusting theconnection of the rod E with the angle-iron F. It will thus be seen thatI have provided various ways for regulating the supply of nails from thepan. First, the vertical adjustment at the rear end of the pan; second,the adjustments of the supports D; third, the adjustment of the spring eof the rod E, and, fourth, the adjustment of the connection of the rod Ewit-li the angle-iron F.

It will be understood that it' the springs d project only a shortdistance above the bolts D the pan B as it descends will strike thebolts with greater force than if the springs project a greater distanceabove the ends of IOO the bolts. These several devices may be nicely adjusted or regulated to supply the nails at the desired speed, and thequantity of nails fed through the different subdivisions of the nail-panmay, as before explained, be regulated by adjusting the partitions c. Itwill be understood that the springs d tend to continue the vibration ofthe pan, and thus tend to shake the nails down the incline should theytend to stop.

In front of and below the nail-pan is a hopper G, supported on thebracket A2 of the frame and corresponding in width to the width of thenail-pan and having its bottom subdivided into a series of V-shapedtroughs g, corresponding with the subdivisions of the nail-pan. anysuitable way with sloping sides inclining from their upper endsdownwardly, and preferably at the lower ends of the troughs I arrangeblocks G, which tend to guide the nails to the bottoms of the troughsand prevent their lodging against the front end of the hopper or fromfinding their way out of the hopper, except in the manner hereinafterdescribed.

Retarding devices for preventing the nails from being delivered toorapidly to the hopper or for preventing them from jumping to the lowerend of the hopper are mounted immediately in front of the pan onverticallyadjustable standards H.

a series of retarders I-l, each shown as consisting of a plate 7L',which when the retarding device is in its normal position is inclinedfrom the shaft h downwardly to the trough, on which it rests, as shownin Fig. 8.

Aplate h2 proj ects upwardly and rearwardly from the shaft 7L anddeiiects any nails that might tend to jump over the shaft onto the plateh. The plate h is suitably shaped,as shown in Fig. 8, to conform to thebottom of the trough on which it rests.

The retarding devices at the ends of the hopper are provided with endpieces h3, which will prevent the nails from falling out at the sides ofthe hopper or pan. The retarding devices may be mounted on the shaft hin any suitable way. I have shown in the drawings a convenient way forsecuring them, which consists in cutting away the ends of the plates h2and turning these ends around the shaft; but other securing devices maybe employed.

The retarding devices may be adjusted to any desired angle by thevertical adjustment of the standards Il, and the nails as they aredelivered from the nail-pan are deflected to the upper ends of thetroughs, so that they are made to traverse practically the ent-irelength of the trough, instead of going immediately to the lower ends.rlhe bottoms of the several troughs are slotted from end to end topermit the oscillating nail-tracks I to reciprocate vertically throughthem. These nail-tracks are slotted longitudinally at t' and Thesetroughs may be formed in.

The standards are' connected by a shaft h, on which are pivoted arebeveled at c" from their outer edges inwardly toward the slots, beingthus adapted to guide the nails to the slots, into which they fall withtheir points downward, and are suspended therein by their heads. Thewidth of the slots for different sizes of nails maybe varied indifferent ways--for instance, by employing a removable piece i2 at oneside of the slot.

The oscillating nail-tracks are mounted on a shaft J, supported in themain frame in any suitable way, and may be held in place by collars. Thefront ends of the tracks carry curved guard-plates I', which reciprocatevertically between the end blocks G and serve to prevent nails fromfalling out in front of the oscillating tracks while they are beingoperated. Each track is actuated by means of a rod K, secured to abracket K adjustable by means of set-screws 7a', working in slots 7a2.rlhe lower end of the rod K is connected to the angle-iron F of thehammeractuating cross-head F'. Between a nut los on the rod and theangle-iron is interposed a spring 7a4, and the lower end of the rodbeyond the angle-iron carries a nut h5. As the cross-head F isreciprocated vertically, a vertical oscillation is imparted to all thetracks. The yielding connections between the angleiron and the rods Kare for the purpose of preventing a strain on the mechanism should thecut-off devices become clogged, as willbe hereinafter explained. Theupper rear ends of the oscillating tracks connect with stationary tracksL, which incline downwardly from their front ends to the cut-offdevices. The connection between the movable track and the stationary`track is such as to provide a close joint at all times, the front faceof the stationary track being curved to correspond with the curved rearend of the movable track, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. 'lhe oscillatingtracks are provided with heels I3, which abut against the under sides ofthe stationary tracks. Thus the downward move` ment of the tracks islimited, and when at their lowermost position the tracks proper ornail-receiving portions thereof are inclined, as shown in Fig. 2, topermit the nails to slide downwardly over them by the force of gravity.The stationary tracks L project a short distance beyond the rear end ofthe hopper and into the slotted troughs thereof. It is thereforenecessary to close the slots immediately above the front ends of thestationary tracks. To do this, I employ hinged gates M, which rest bygravity at their lower front ends on the front ends of the stationarytracks when the oscillating tracks are depressed, but which are raisedby theoscillating tracks when they are elevated. The front ends of thegates are notched at m to permit the heads of the nails to pass when thetracks I are elevated and the nails are sliding downwardly therefrom.The depth of the slots in the tracks is a little greater than the lengthof the nails; but when the nails are suspended by their IOO heads theyare free to move without touching bottom. Headless nails fall throughthe slots and pass out at into any suitable receptacle.

The cut-oit devices N are located at the lower rear ends of thestationary tracks. There is a cut-ott for each one of the tracks. As thecut-oft devices, which I employ are all alike, the description of one ofthem will be sufiicient. A base-piece O is employed for carrying thecut-off mechanism of all the tracks. This base-piece is provided withupright boards O', grooved at -0 to receive the upright removable boardp, to which the top or cover P is secured. The cover and its verticalboard p, in connection with the uprights O', constitute a casing for thecut-oft mechanism, and as the covers may be readily removed the cut-ottmechanism may be easily gotten at and repaired, if necessary.

The cut-off devices for each track are shown as consisting of a fingerQ, carried by a transversely-sliding block Q', pressed in one directionby a spring q, held in place bya stud q' on one ofthe uprights O. Thefinger may be adjusted by means of the screw q2, which secures it to theblock Q'. The block is movedtransversely against the force of the springq by means of an inclined bar R, pivotally connected to the oscillatingtrack I. The rear end of the bar engages an inclined end of the blockQ', and it Works through a suitablyshaped opening p' in the upright pand against one of the vertical boards O. The block is formed on itsfront side with a recess g3, arranged immediately over an opening o inthe cross-piece O, beneath which is arranged a tube S, which maycommunicate with tubes or devices which carry the nails to the hammer.The finger Q is formed with an enlargement y, which projects rearwardlya short distance into the recess Q3. This enlargement gradually mergesinto the point or edge of the linger, and as the finger is reciprocatedthe nail, which is separated from the others in the track, is movedbackwardly into the recess over the opening 0, through which it fallsinto the tube S. The finger reciprocates transversely through a recessZin the rear end of the track, and the track immediately in front of theiingeris provided with inclined diverging edges Z. Each track is cutaway at Z2 between its upper and lower ends andimmediately below thiscut-away portion is perforated at T. The trackimmediately above theperforation T overhangs the perforation to a slight extent, as shown inFig. 4. As the nails are fed down the track they jump across theperforation T to the lower end ofthe track and stop close to the iingers or cut-offs; but should more than enough nails be supplied to thelower end ot' the track and should they till the track from the fingersor cut-offs to the perforation T the nails subsequently fed down thetrack will fall through the perforation into a receptacle providedtherefor. By this means the clogging of the tracks is prevented. Most ofthe nails are fed down the track in regular order, suspended by theirheads. Occasionally, however, nails will pass the gate without assumingavertical position or being suspended by their heads. Should this becase, they will fall from the tracks over the inelines Z' beforereaching the cut-oft devices. The width of the slot in each stationarytrack may be made adjustable by means of a removable side piece L',corresponding with the removable side piece i2 in the oscillating track,thus allowing nails of different sizes to be used.

The operation of the mechanism has been indicated in describing itsconstruction. Briefly stated, the operation is as follows: The nails aredumped in a miscellaneous mass into the rear end of the nail-pan, and asthe nail-pan is oscillated or vibrated the nails are fed downwardlyagainst the dellectors or retarders, which deliver them to the upperends of the troughs in the hopper G. The nails slide down the troughsand are detlectedinto the slots t' in the upper ends or edges of thetracks I. Defective nails fall through the slots and out through theopenings x. A por.

tion of the perfect nails are suspended by their heads in the trackswhen the tracks are in their lowermost position, and as the tracks areraised those nails which are not suspended by their heads pass to thesides of the tracks until the track falls again, while the nails in theslots pass by the gates M onto the inclined stationary tracks L', downwhich they slide, jumping the openings T, and. are arrested at thecut-oft devices. As the cutoff knives are oscillated the nails arepicked off separately and delivered through openings o and tubes S. Vhenthe knives are withdrawn, the lowermost nail rests against the block Q',as shown in Fig. 5, and as the knife moves across the path of the trackit separates the lowermost nail from the others and delivers it throughthe opening o. The mechanism is so timed and operated that the nail-panis intermittently vibrated and the oscillating nail-tracks aresimultaneously actuated.

The cut-off devices are operated from the oscillating nail-tracks,`andthe connection between the nail-tracks and the reciprocating cross-headof the hammer is yielding, as before described, so that should thecut-off mechanism become clogged there is no undue strain which wouldtend to break any parts of the apparatus.

I claim as my invention l. The nail-pan herein described, provided withpartitions pivoted at their lower ends and having devices at their frontends for securing them in the desired adj usted positions.

2. The nail-pan herein described, provided with partitions pivoted attheir lower ends to IOC the bottom of the pan and adj ustably secured attheir upper rear ends to a slotted crosspiece, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination of the nail-pan, the bolts carrying springs, on whichthe nail-pan is supported at its front end, and means for vibrating thepan.

4. The combination of the nail-pan, the bolts carrying springs, on whichthe nail-pan is supported, and the vertically-reciprocating rod carryinga spring at its upper end, bearing against the nail-pan.

5. The combination of an inclined nailpan, means for oscillating itvertically, an inclined hopper in front of and below the nailpan, andadjustable retarders interposed between the hopper and the pan todeflect the nails to the upper end of the inclined bottom of the hopper.

G. The combination of the nail-pan, the hopper, the retarders having thedownwardly and rearwardly inclined plates and the upwardly andrearwardly inclined plates, and a shaft on which the plates are mounted.

7. The combination of anail-pan, a hopper having a forwardly anddownwardly inclined bottom and located below the nail-pan and in frontthereof, the oscillating nail-tracks working vertically through thehopper and inclined forwardly and downwardly at the end of the downwardstroke, the stationary nailtracks, with which the oscillatingrearwardlyextending downwardly-inclined nail-.tracks connect, and cut-omechanism at the lower ends of the stationary tracks.

8. The combination of the hopper, a V- shaped trough therein, theoscillating track working vertically through the trough, and the hingedgate notched at its lower end and bearing on both tracks and which israised and lowered by the oscillating track.

9. The combination of ahopper having an inclined bottom, avertically-oscillating track therein, and a guard-plate l', carried bythe lower end of the track and extending upwardly therefrom, for thepurpose specified.

l0. The combination, substantially as set forth, of an inclined hopperprovided with a series of V-shaped troughs, an oscillating track, theinclined blocks at the lower ends of the hopper on opposite sides of thetrack, the upwardly-projccting guard-plate I between the blocks, and thegate hinged to the upper end of the hopper and bearing against thetrack.

ll. The inclined stationary track herein described, having the openingT, through which superfluous nails are delivered, connected at its upperend with means for feeding nails to the cut-off mechanism, incombination with cut-off mechanism at the lower end of the track, havingdevices for supporting a number of nails between the opening 'll and thelower end of the track, and a finger for picking off one nail at a timefrom the nails thus supported, substantially as set forth.

12. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the stationarytrack, the oscillating track, means for operating the oscillating track,the transversely-reciprocating springpressed block carrying the cut-oftfinger, and connections between theoscillating track and thespring-pressed block for moving the block against the force of thespring.

13. The combination of the finger-carrying spring-pressed block, thegrooved uprights, between which the block is mounted, andthe top pieceor cover provided with an upright board working verticallyin thegrooves.

14. The combination, with the verticallyreciprocating cross-head, ofcut-ott devices, the vertically-oscillating track, connections betweenthe track and the cut-oit devices, by which t-he latter are operated, arod adjustably secured to the track, and a yielding connection betweenthe rod and the cross-head.

l5. The combination of the hinged nail-pan, the hopper, the oscillatingtracks extending into the hopper, the stationary tracks, the cut-offmechanism, the hammercarrying cross-head, a rod adj ustably connectedthereto for oscillating or vibrating the nail-pan, connections betweenthe oscillating nailtracks and the cut-oit mechanism, rods connectingthe oscillating nail-tracks with the hammer-carrying cross-head, andsprings carried by the lower ends of the rods.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my nam e.

BYRON M. GUNSTON.

vVitnessesz H. L. IIoWE, WILLIAM V. BURR.

